MA-MA
NEW YORK
MA-MA is a multi-disciplinary design studio with offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Founded by sisters Sanam, Laylee, and Safura Salek, the studio practices within a variety of typologies from architecture, interiors, and scenography; to furniture and product design, and across a wide array of industries including fashion, hospitality, art, and design.
We approach each project through an architectural lens, employing a level of rigor that considers every detail that shapes the human experience. We are storytellers and experience builders. We create designs and atmospheres with a distinct narrative in mind, providing a journey that is both curated and unexpected. We prioritize creating spaces and objects that are contextual, yet transformative; fostering beauty and functionality in all things.
Laylee Salek received her Bachelor of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 2015. Upon graduating, she began working for Rem Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) for three years. Laylee served as a Designer as part of the winning competition teams for OMA’s Post Houston and Greenpoint Landing projects, both completed in 2021/2022. She then went on to work for Peterson Rich Office (PRO) as a Project Architect and Project Manager, leading the design for the P&T Knitwear Bookstore in NYC (completed in 2022), and lead the winning competition for the Pioneer Works Rooftop Observatory in Brooklyn. Laylee co-founded MA-MA, in 2018.
Sanam Salek received her Masters in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. She served as Project Manager for the adaptive reuse of the historical New Holland Island mixed-use development in St. Petersburg, Russia. She went on to become a Senior Designer and Project Leader at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), where she lead the winning competition teams for the Delacorte Theater renovation in Central Park, as well as, 670 Mesquit, a 5-acre mixed-use development in Downtown Los Angeles. Sanam went on to work as the Head of Design and Project Development for Nomade, a hospitality development company, where she developed design concepts for hotels in Ibiza, Todos Santos, and Madrid. Sanam co-founded MA-MA in 2018.
Safura Salek has over 20 years of architectural and interior design experience, ranging from high-end residential to mixed-use commercial, and hospitality design. Safura received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). For several years, Safura worked as a Senior Designer at LA-based design firm, Commune Design, leading architecture and interiors projects for several renowned retail stores across the U.S., such as Oliver Peoples and Kiki De Montparnasse as well as many residential and hospitality projects. She then went on to start her own firm, Mass Studio in 2012, where she specialized in and published many high-end ground-up residential and interior projects. Safura is a partner at MA-MA.
